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Venice under water as complex dam system fails to activate

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Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/reuters/12/09/flood.jpg"/><figcaption>People walk across an arcade by a flooded St. Mark&#x27;s Square on December 8, 2020 in Venice following a high tide &quot;Alta Acqua&quot; event following heavy rains and strong winds, and the mobile gates of the MOSE Experimental Electromechanical Module that protects the city of Venice from floods, were not lifted. <em>Andrea Pattaro, Agence France-Presse</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>VENICE, Italy - Venice&#x27;s St Mark&#x27;s Square was under water on Tuesday after a newly installed system of mobile artificial dams failed to activate.</p><p>Residents -- long accustomed to perennial &quot;acqua alta&quot; or high water events -- pulled on their rubber boots once more to deal with flooding that reached a high of 1.37 meters (4.5 feet) above sea level in the afternoon.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/life/12/03/20/in-ancient-italian-monastery-monks-defend-dying-byzantine-tradition">In ancient Italian monastery, monks defend dying Byzantine tradition</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/12/07/20/italy-coronavirus-death-toll-tops-60000">Italy coronavirus death toll tops 60,000</a></li></ul><p>The waters drowned St Mark&#x27;s Square -- the Renaissance city&#x27;s lowest area at about one meter above sea level -- and invaded the famous basilica as many shopkeepers blocked their entrances with wood panels to keep the water out.</p><p>A massive flood defense system called MOSE aimed at protecting Venice&#x27;s lagoon during high tide was finally installed in October.</p><p>The network of water-filled caissons is designed to be raised within 30 minutes to create a barrier capable of resisting a water rise of three meters above normal. </p><p>But on Tuesday the system failed to swing into action because the forecast erroneously predicted a rise of only 1.2 meters (four feet) above sea level.</p><p>&quot;To activate MOSE a bigger forecast is necessary,&quot; Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro told the Italian news agency Agi.</p><p>&quot;We will have to review the rules of the command post.&quot;</p><p>The water reached a peak of 1.87 meters (six feet) above sea level on November 12, 2019, one of the highest ever recorded. Dozens of churches with UNESCO World Heritage status were damaged.</p><p>The MOSE infrastructure project began in 2003 but was plagued by cost overruns, corruption scandals and delays.</p><p>The project has cost about seven billion euros ($8 billion), versus an original estimate of two billion. </p><div><strong>cm/ial/gd/dl</strong></div><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FRS2Jr8Amp0?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

<p>VENICE, Italy - Venice's St Mark's Square was under water on Tuesday after a newly installed system of mobile artificial dams failed to activate.</p>

VENICE, Italy - Venice's St Mark's Square was under water on Tuesday after a newly installed system of mobile artificial dams failed to activate.